Hydroxypropyl Starch Ether (HPS) is an important building additive, commonly used in building materials such as building coatings, mortars, and concrete. It is mainly a water-soluble polymer compound made by modifying starch, and has excellent thickening, water retention, rheological adjustment and other functions, so it is widely used in the construction field.

1. Thickening effect
One of the most significant characteristics of hydroxypropyl starch ether is its excellent thickening performance. It can effectively increase the viscosity of materials such as building coatings, plasters, and mortars, and improve the rheological properties of materials. Since building coatings or mortars require a certain viscosity during construction to facilitate construction and adhesion, hydroxypropyl starch ether plays a vital role in it. After thickening, the material will not be too thin and can maintain good fluidity and stability.

2. Water retention
Water retention is one of the very important roles of hydroxypropyl starch ether in construction. Since hydroxypropyl starch ether can absorb water and form a hydration film, it can effectively slow down the evaporation rate of water. After adding hydroxypropyl starch ether to mortar or other building materials, the wettability of the material can be maintained to a certain extent, preventing the surface from drying and cracking prematurely, thereby improving the operability and durability of the construction. This water-retaining property is particularly important for some building materials that require a long time to cure, such as tile adhesive, gypsum, plaster mortar, etc.

3. Rheological adjustment
Hydroxypropyl starch ether can adjust the rheological properties of building materials to make them more workable. Adding hydroxypropyl starch ether to building mortar, concrete and other materials can make these materials more fluid during construction, and not easy to slide or delaminate. This has a positive effect on improving construction efficiency, reducing material waste, and ensuring construction quality. It can make the coating of paint or mortar more uniform, and construction workers can operate more easily, thereby improving the construction experience.

4. Improve dryness and hardening
In some building materials, hydroxypropyl starch ether can improve the dryness and hardening of materials. For example, some types of tile adhesives and other wall adhesives, after adding hydroxypropyl starch ether, can better maintain the adhesion when applied, while accelerating the evaporation of moisture in contact with the air and promoting its hardening. It not only improves the performance after construction, but also reduces the quality problems of materials caused by excessive moisture.

5. Enhanced adhesion
Adhesion is a crucial property in architectural coatings, mortars and other materials. As a water-soluble polymer compound, hydroxypropyl starch ether can improve its adhesion by enhancing the adhesion of the material, ensuring that the coating or mortar can be firmly attached to the surface of the substrate to prevent peeling or falling off. For example, the use of cement mortar containing hydroxypropyl starch ether can improve its bonding strength with different substrates such as masonry and concrete, thereby ensuring the stability of construction quality.

6. Improved weather resistance
In some building materials, especially exterior wall coatings and waterproof coatings, hydroxypropyl starch ether can significantly improve the weather resistance of materials. Due to its special chemical structure, it can enhance the coating’s resistance to external environmental factors such as UV rays, moisture, and temperature differences, making the coating less likely to fade, crack, or peel off during long-term use, thereby extending the service life of building materials.

7. Environmental protection
Since hydroxypropyl starch ether is modified from natural starch raw materials, it has good environmental protection properties. Compared with some petrochemical products, the raw material source of hydroxypropyl starch ether is more sustainable, and its impact on the environment during application is less. In addition, its use in building materials can also reduce dependence on certain harmful chemicals, which is in line with the trend of modern building materials pursuing green and environmental protection.

8. Improve crack resistance
The crack resistance of building materials is crucial to long-term durability. Hydroxypropyl starch ether can form a stable network structure in materials such as mortar and concrete through its unique molecular structure, which helps to disperse the stress inside the material, reduce shrinkage cracks in the material, and thus improve crack resistance. This performance is particularly important in humid or high temperature environments, which can prevent cracks caused by shrinkage.

As a functional additive, hydroxypropyl starch ether plays a very important role in building materials. It can not only improve the rheology, adhesion, water retention and other properties of building coatings, mortars and concrete, but also improve durability indicators such as crack resistance and weather resistance. With the improvement of environmental awareness, the application of hydroxypropyl starch ether as a natural starch derivative meets the demand of modern construction industry for green and environmentally friendly materials and has broad application prospects.